It's Complicated: Aki & Yusei's Story
by AnimeAngel4eva
Summary: Aki returns to Neo Domino for a few days in hope to reunite with some of her friends, but once she arrives she finds herself hesitating to visit Yusei, feeling insecure and anxious about the status of their current relationship.  CHAPTER 2 & 3 ADDED
1. Chapter 1

Title: **It's Complicated: Aki's Version**  
>Genre: Romance, Drama<br>Anime: Yu Gi Oh 5Ds  
>Pairing: Aki x Yusei<br>Summary: Aki returns to Neo Domino for a few days in hope to reunite with some of her friends, but once she arrives she finds herself hesitating to visit Yusei, feeling insecure and anxious about the status of their current relationship.

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><p>The psychic duelist who went from being entitled as the Black Rose Witch, to Neo Domino's Heroine and now a Guardian Angel after stories about her patients' rare miraculous recoveries despite having to been in her medical career nothing more than a year. Aki sighed as she heard some of her co-workers gossiping about, within the past year it has quickly become one of the 'seven wonders' of the town she lived in. Honestly she preferred not using her abilities to heal patients, especially not wanting to create newfound hope that wasn't going to happen for everyone. Besides it wasn't that she helped create countless miracles. As far as she was concerned, she has only created three, but that alone was enough to be the hot topic in the hospital no matter how many months ago it's been. Striding into her office, she plopped herself down and let out a deep breath, massaging her forehead gently as she, as always would look at that one and only picture of their victorious celebration after wining the WRGP. A small smile crawled upon her lips as usual.<p>

"Looking at that photograph again?" Aki looked up to see her boss, the head of the hospital with a clipboard in hand. She grinned at him, "That's correct. So what brings you here Mr. Cueto?"

The doctor glanced at his clipboard once more before glancing at the calendar, "Regarding your request to take a few days off." She stood up and bit her lips, "Is it too soon to request some time off?" the doctor shook his head, "No, in fact we're having one of our employees who had maternity break who specializes in the same subject as you do. Also since you aren't the one performing operations and sorts, this would be a good chance for her to get back into her groove a bit."

Aki's eyes widen, "So it will be alright?" her boss nodded at her before adding, "But keep in mind Aki, you won't be paid like the seniors here do, and it will be for only eight days." The young woman beamed at him, "That's more than enough time, thank you for granting my request." A small smirk crawled upon his face and replied, "Oh and by the way, your vacation starts tomorrow. So if you're planning to fly back to Japan like I think will be doing, you better hope there's some seats left on the plane." She gawked at him, "You're kidding!" and shifted her gaze to the monitor and pulled up her seat typing furiously at the keyboard to see if there were a plane ticket to claim within the next twenty-four hours.

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><p>It was early in the morning when Aki stepped out of Neo Domino's airport and inhaled the sweet spring air deeply. The sky was still dark and there were very few cabs waiting around. When she got one, she gave the cabdriver the directions to her parent's place and then sat back into the seat closing her eyes feeling exhausted.<p>

She was barely able to catch the flight that she took to return to her hometown. For all she had packed, it was all strictly what she needed, a few pair of clothes, hygiene materials, her laptop, wallet, cellphone and of course her dueldisk– that was about it, but then again only something natural travelers would pack, but she had a hard time believing she still managed to pull it off within fifteen minutes since she ran into her apartment and out again. She didn't have the chance to eat either so she was left to have a distasteful meal on the plane.

She took out her cellphone and switched the time zone realizing that it was 4:45am, she dialed her home number nervously, feeling guilt that she wasn't able to give her parents a heads up about her sudden return back in town. However she was left surprised when there was no answer. She bit her lips as they pulled into the driveway where Aki stepped out and paid the cab before he drove up and stared at her dark home. She tried calling again realizing that the curtains in the living room were closed which only meant one thing, they were out of town. Groaning to herself, she used her cellphone as her source of light and dug into her bag where she was certain, still had her pair of keys for the house. Relieved that she found it, Aki opened up and went inside flicking on the lights muttering, "Thank god. I would hate having to call someone to crash at for the night." Leaving her stuff at the front door she went directly into the kitchen and opened the fridge only to frown, "How long were they planning to be out of town for?" She eyed the kitchen cabinets in hope she could find some canned peaches, soup or anything. She found a box of Pocky that her father would usually hide from her and smirked as she snapped open a new bag, "And he thought since his little girl was out of town that his Pocky would be safe~" she drew one out and quickly consumed it before drawing for a second one. Knowing that wasn't enough she continued searching the cabinets and pulled out a can peaches and shrugged, "Good enough for me." Then proceeded to opening the can and filling up the teakettle to prepare a cup of tea.

Glancing at the clock, not too much time passed since arriving from the airport and finding food. It was only a little past five which made her grimaced. It was far too early to call anyone, and now that she just ate some Pocky, she won't be able to sleep for a good long while now. While she watched her the kettle to boil, she returned to the entrance to grab her things and tossed it into her room and then back downstairs again. As she ate her peaches she snapped open her cellphone and stared at her contact list. There were only four people who were still in town who she could call first. Honestly one would think she'd call Yusei first, but to speak the truth, she wasn't sure how she was going to meet him.

Since their 'moment' as she calls it, in his garage before she left the next day, she always worried things would be awkward when they reunited, even if Yusei had completely forgotten and moved on or still remembered. The idea of Yusei being in a relationship with another bugged her. Not to he point where she could be considered as 'possessive' but it was more of feeling envious towards whoever the current lucky girl was. What made it even harder was at that moment the two of them at the time actually confessed their emotion in just pure silence and actions. It made her feel more guilty being too pre-occupied with her studies and work that they barely had any time to speak to each other. Actually now that she thinks about of it, just what was their relationship status? They kissed, talked, but now it's been eight freaking years since all that. Does Yusei still hold feelings for her, or are they nothing more than just friends? The woman groaned at the thought and buried her face into her pulled up knees, "What am I going to do…"

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><p>It wasn't till later that morning when Aki decided to call Carly first. If Rua and Ruka still lived in town, she would have definitely called them first, but over the years Carly and her have managed to make their relationship grow as pen pals, another reason why she felt guilty that she didn't devote enough time to talk with Yusei. Everyday she would slap herself for holding back. It annoyed her even more how she felt like she was sabotaging their bonds while at the same time she felt that because her heart thought about him everyday that it wasn't necessary to accept a date from one of her colleagues, it wasn't okay to attend a blind date, just being in a romantic relationship with another man was a big 'no no'.<p>

The sounds of Carly's voice snapped her out of daze_, 'Hello? Aki! How are you?'_ She smiled in response, "Hey Carly, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I'm in town for the week. I was thinking maybe we can meet up for lunch or at a pub tonight." Carly was silent for a few seconds leaving the background noise of wherever she was filling in her spot before answering, _'I can't make it for lunch but I'm available this evening. Which pub would you like to go?'_

Aki grinned widely, happy to hear that Carly had time to hang out that day, she stood up to look out the kitchen window, "How about the usual one? I hope it's still around, I know it wasn't fairing well in business before I left." She added nervously.

'_Don't worry; it's back in business. How about seven? I don't get out of work till six.'_ She replied as Aki bit her lips wondering just what she should do for the rest of the day to kill time, but was quickly snapped out of daze when she called her, sounding rather concerned, _'Aki?' _she jumped and laughed nervously in response, "Oh sorry, with the major shift in time zone I'm feeling very out of it." It wasn't a complete lie. She did feel out of it, but it was mainly getting distracted that was at fault.

'_All right then, get some sleep even if it means it's not going to help out much. I'll see you tonight.' _

She turned away from the window and started making her way back upstairs to her room, "Yeah thanks! See you later!"

Perhaps getting some sleep was all that she needed to make her doubts and worries go away.

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><p>Aki woke up about an hour before she had to meet up with Carly at the pub. Without a doubt she just ruined her sleeping schedule for while she was back in town. She took a quick shower before getting dress and doing her hair before heading out the door. As she locked up she peered at the garage in dismay. It sucked not having her D-Wheel with her here. That was another thing she was sure to miss out doing whenever she gets around to finally reuniting with Yusei. She have somehow doubted that he had time to make a brand new D-Wheel just for the hell of it unless it was solely for business reasons or having to repair or upgrade it. As she walked her way into town she would stop every now and then to observe the minor changes to the city. Finally arriving at the pub, she was happy to see Carly waiting outside looking even more stunning then the last time she saw her, "Carly?" she called. The reporter looked up and beamed at her, "Aki! It's so great to see you!" The two of them exchanged quick hugs before Aki squeezed her hands and gushed, "Oh my gosh Carly, you look absolutely gorgeous!"<p>

"What? Was I that ugly in the past?" she joked with a playful frown on her face. Aki just laughed as the two of them stepped inside, "Not at all, just wow. You have finally walked into the spotlight." Carly snorted, "You mean, literally walked into the spotlight. Ever since I've started keeping up with the latest trend getting reports, exclusive scoops and interviews has been a piece of cake."

Aki grinned at her, "Who would want to reject an offer to be interviewed by a beautiful woman?" Carly rolled her eyes, "Almost no one, and the ones who usually do only makes them suspicious about hiding something big." She looked at Aki, "So what brings you to town?" Aki folded her hands together resting them on top of the counter they sat at, "I needed some time to think. I also wanted to see how everyone was doing. It's been eight years since I stepped afoot here." The bartender greeted them wiping the countertop, "Good evening ladies, my apologizes for the delay, what can I get you?"

"Two shots please." Carly replied holding out the cash and quickly spared a glance at Aki, "I hope that's okay." The doctor just nodded and grinned in amusement, "I've grown used to them since that what my colleagues and I would do after a successful discharge with a patient who needed serious medical attention," Aki picked up her glass before adding, "and miracles." Carly's eyes widen, "Before I ask, cheers to the out of blue reunion!" Aki grinned as they tipped each other's glass and took their shots and Carly called, "Another two- actually make that three please!" Aki stared at her in bewilderment, "I didn't think you'd like taking shots so much." Carly shook her head, "Usually I don't, but tonight I need it." She eyed her, "And, what are these miracles you've spoken of?" Aki's eyes widen slightly and picked up her shot glass inspecting it. '_That's right, only the team knows about this power.'_ She settled it down again as she replied, "For the past year now since I've been working at the hospital we've had four to six cases of recoveries that are deemed as miracles." Carly smirked, "And they are connected to you?" Aki frowned, "What makes you think of that?" Carly's smirk only grew wider, "Don't underestimate a reporter's institution." She held up her glass and took her second shot before continuing, "Besides the fact you are a psychic duelist and I have done some major investigation learning that psychic duelists have some pretty wicked not to mention _miraculous_ abilities, the way you worded it just gave it away." Aki opened her mouth to protest but Carly beaten her to it, "Also miracles aren't supposed to happen often. The fact that you said you have witnessed one way or another, that there were four to six cases, all within a year versus what you could have described it as part of the hospital's history clearly breaks it down to the point that you are connected to these miracles." Aki stared at her in bewilderment, astonished she was able to figure it out and explain how she did so quickly.

Carly held up her shot glass as if she were to make a toast, "And judging the way you are looking at me right now speaks for itself." Aki just scowled, "I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place." Carly laughed in response once taking her shot as Aki picked up her own and did the same, waving to the bartender again for more.

"And, what about you _Ms. Nagisa_." The psychic duelist replied, addressing Carly by her last name- something in which she only did when the reporter got something out her, "I've heard that you were scouted for a big journalism company and now working as a photojournalist." She turned to face her expecting her to smile, but instead she found the reporter groaning, "Everything been great, but-" she stopped as she grabbed the shot glass they've both received and clutched to the glass so tightly, Aki was worried she was going to break it.

"I just received a new assignment today…" she raised her glass to her lips and grumbled as she scowled, "_And _I accepted it despite knowing that I have to do an exclusive interview with no other than the _Jackass_." She gulped the liquor down before letting out a huff as the heavy alcohol burned her throat.

"You're in charge of getting an exclusive interview with Jack?" Aki gasped as reached for her third shot glass, "Why am I not surprised?"

"The word may have gotten around that I was close to him in the past. They probably think I can woo him or something and get a major scoop." Carly took her fourth shot and groaned, "Honestly, I know I shouldn't say this, but I don't think I'm ready to confront him yet." Aki made a face and rested her elbow on the countertop leaning her head against her knuckles to get a good look at the reporter, "That's right, you shouldn't say that." She paused looking up at the ceiling before gazing down again, "Then again, maybe Jack won't recognize you." Carly blinked and turned her head to Aki who was now tapping her cheek, "Hm, yeah. I mean he hasn't seen you in ten years and you look so different not to mention beautiful-,"

"Jack likes beautiful women, that's not going to help. Even if he doesn't recognize me he still might try hitting on me." Aki snorted in response and carefully leaned back on the stool, "There's no avoiding it is there." Then leaned back onto the counter again and sighed, "Well, Jack has a reputation of remembering people's faces, more specifically women' faces." She shot a sympathetic smile to Carly, "Looks like there's no way around it. If he acts as a jerk, just give him a nice wicked slap! Now that would be an exclusive!" Aki added enthusiastically, Carly just raised her eyebrows with a weak smile upon her lips. One of the strange things she knew about Aki was that she loved to tease Jack, although she didn't quite understand why though. The only reason she could come up with was Jack's brother-complex with Yusei. Her eyes widen and turned to Aki, "Oh yeah, now that I think of it, have you seen Yusei yet?" Aki stiffen and started batting her shot glass back and forth between her hands, staring at it intensely, "No, I haven't." she answered quietly.

Carly raised her eyebrows surprised, "Do you not like him anymore?" Aki's head shot up shaking in denial, "No! I… I mean, I don't know." She shifted her gaze back to the glass and sighed, "For some reason it feels like it's going to be awkward." She added softly. Carly raised her raise arm and patted Aki on the back, "It'll be fine. Oh that's right, I have to drop by his place tomorrow anyways, I wanted to ask him if he could fix my laptop." Aki bit her lips, "No it's fine. I'll drop by myself." Carly raised her arm for the bartender's attention and called, "Two shots more shots please!" Aki looked at her with a silly expression, "You have an admirable amount of tolerance for alcohol." Carly just shrugged, "It's good, but it's not healthy. I have to keep track of how many I have." She held up her glass, "Oh and FYI, last time I checked Yusei isn't dating anyone so you shouldn't be concerned too much." Aki just laughed at the remark and held up her glass as well, "Thanks, cheers!" they tipped each other's glass before taking the shot and paying for their drinks and leaving the pup then finally parted ways.

When Aki got back home the first thing she did was go to the kitchen to help herself to several cups of water and went straight up to her room. She closed her curtains and quickly changed into her nightgown before crawling into bed hugging her pillows close as her discussion with Carly about meeting up with Yusei plagued her mind_. 'Oh and FYI, last time I checked Yusei isn't dating anyone so you shouldn't be concerned too much_'. The thought of Yusei still being single was certain reassuring, but what he currently thought of her still scared her. '_There's no way of knowing until you confront him yoursel_f.' Aki thought bitterly squeezing her pillow tighter.

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><p>The next morning Aki found herself woken up not by her cellphone, not by her alarm <em>nor <em>was itbecause she fell off the bed, but _the doorbell_. She hastily grabbed her silk housecoat and tied the sash to keep it closed as she hurried down the stairs to the front door. When she opened up, she immediately wished she hadn't.

It was no other than Fudo Yusei, the one person she wanted to avoid until she had the guts to face him herself.

"Hey Aki I heard from Carly that you were in town…" he paused observing the robe and smiled apologetically, "Ah… sorry did I wake you up?" The psychic duelist shook her head and stepped aside, "Come in."

Yusei eyed her as she closed the door behind him, "That's a lie, I can tell. I didn't think you'd sleep until noon." Aki's eyes widen, "It's noon?" she ducked her head into the kitchen to view the clock before gasping, "Oh god, you're right!"

The duelist smirked at her before crossing his arms, "Do you want to get dress first, then talk, or just talk then get dress, either way I don't mind." Aki looked at him raising an eyebrow, "I didn't think I've ever imagined hearing a statement like that coming out of your month." His smirk just grew wider, "I'm only speaking the truth."

"I'll take the first option." She answered hastily as she hurried up the stairs as Yusei retreated to the kitchen. She slammed the door behind her and holding her face as a zillion thoughts buzzed through her mind making her feel not only dizzy but also nauseous. '_Oh god, he's here. He's really here!_ _Shit, and in the rain too! Oh god what am I going to do?_'

She went through her suitcase and pulled out a few clothes and rushed to the bathroom so that she could multitask. It didn't take her long since she didn't bother putting on any makeup and just left her hair down after brushing it. As she returned downstairs she took a deep breath so that she could have control of both her thoughts and emotions.

"Sorry about that." She began as she entered the kitchen as he turned to her, sliding a coffee cup across the counter, "No problem, I'm the one who showed up without letting you know." He poured himself a cup of coffee before continuing, "It's been a while hasn't it." The psychic duelist studied him as he took a sip of his beverage. She nodded slowly and wrapped her harms around the mug to warm herself, "Yeah it's been _too_ long." she paused biting her lips, her eyes shifted their gaze to her reflection in the mug, "I'm sorry that I haven't been able to keep in touch with you much over the years." He shook his head as he leaned against the counter, "It's not too bad since it's not like you never did. Your studies were your first priorities and being a doctor is time consuming." He cracked a smile, "Which by the way, congratulations on that." She smiled back at him, slowly starting to feel more at ease, "Thanks. And how's the Fortune Momentum been doing?" Yusei gave her a thumb up, "Running smoothly so far. We shouldn't have to worry about having to deal with ZONE's future, not that I'm worried about it. " Aki laughed, "Well that's good to hear. I say you have had enough to worry about and deserve a peaceful life."

Before she knew it, silence had already engulfed them. Aki took a sip of her drink as she felt the tension in the room start to grow. So much for feeling relaxed. Now she couldn't help but start feeling awkward. The one thing she has come to realize was that Yusei had created a conversation right off the bat, quickly driving them off topic from their greetings. On top of that she was certain this whole conversation as mentally prepared as well. So caught up in her thoughts she didn't realize that Yusei opened the fridge and didn't hear him the first time making a remark.

"Aki?" Her skin jumped when she saw him in front of her, almost causing her to spill her coffee, "Are you feeling okay?" She let out a deep breath and rubbed her head, "Sorry, it might just be a small hangover."

"A Hangover?" Yusei frowned, "Just what were you doing?"

Aki sighed before answering slowly, "Carly and I went to a pub last night and we had a couple of shots." He raised an eyebrow and didn't bother pressing the matter any further, "How long have you been in town?" Aki closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair pushing back, "I only arrived yesterday morning. I slept for most of the day then when I woke up it was already time to meet up with her." Yusei stepped back and leaned against the counter again gulping down the rest of his coffee before asking softly, "How long are you going to be in town for?" The psychic duelist couldn't help but feel guilty, "Only for a few more days. I'm not getting paid as we speak because I haven't worked long enough to have earned official vacation days."

"Then why _now_?" Her eyes snapped open, finding herself caught off guard and shifted their gaze towards Yusei and then back at the gradient surface realizing that he wasn't looking at her. She swallowed and squeezed her hands around the mug to the point her fingers intertwined and finally answered, "To be honest, I'm not really sure myself." Yusei finally turned his head to her with an unreadable expression on his face, something she hadn't seen since their duel at the Fortune Cup and that alone troubled her.

Pushing himself off the counter, Yusei picked up his mug and settled it into the sink and stared out the window studying Aki's troubled face in the reflection before finally pivoting to face her again, "It's fine if you don't know." He said it so softly that Aki felt incredibly vulnerable in a sense she felt that like she was the one at fault. Wait, whom was she kidding? _Of course_ she was the one at fault, _she's_ the one who came back to Neo Domino in such short notice, _she _was the one who didn't bother working an entire year before requesting for some time off, _she_ was the one who was at fault for not bothering to return to Neo Domino for what could have been a longer period of time _before_ she decided to apply and work at a hospital! Now she was just frustrated with herself. Why does she always make mistakes like this? Why did she always make things more complicated than they should be or already were? _And god why_ did she feel like she needs to kick Yusei out before her outer shell cracks any further?

Perhaps her distressful state was more obvious than she had thought. The moment she saw Yusei look concerned and reach for his jacket made her even more frantic, and the fact that he probably sensed it killed her.

Pulling on his coat and picking up his helmet Yusei "Sorry, I only intended to drop by for a short while. I need to get going, I'll call you later." She shifted her gaze setting her mug aside and followed him to the entrance.

She knew better that was clearly an excuse. Dropping by, making coffee her for and then trying to start a discussion, anyone would know that wasn't initially planned for a come and go visit. Moreover, knowing Yusei, Aki knew that he was far more organized than that and if he really did have business to attend to, he would have dropped by afterwards and if he didn't have it until way later on it would've made more sense when dropping by – not sticking around for like, what ten to twenty minutes? Was it even close to twenty minutes? Somehow she doubted it.

Aki followed him outside with her arms crossed with a hand squeezing her shoulder for reassurance. She watched him settle onto his D-Wheel in which she noticed had some minor adjustments and raised her hand waving slowly, "Bye."

He spared her a glance before nodding and wordlessly started the engine and roared off. The moment she could no longer see him she felt her body start to tremble as she went back into the house, barely making it inside as a wave of countless emotions came crashing down upon her, causing her knees to buckle and make her fall to the ground. Burying her face in her hands she mentally kicked herself for saying the one thing she haven't been able say to him face to face in eight years.

That was simply the one greeting, '_Hello_'. Her fingers curled into her palm tightly, pinching herself with her nails that were sharply pressing against her skin and murmured, "How could I be so stupid?"

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><p><strong>A:N:<strong> Well here you have it folks, the start of my new project "It's Complicated." I'm thrilled to try out this new style and see where and how it will go. I actually uploaded this a few hours ago, but I realized there was a major error so I removed it and put it back up again. XD;

So Aki is feeling rather insecure and anxious about her relationship status with Yusei-, not to mention _awkward _thanks to how they parted and lacked keeping in touch because they were both very pre-occupied. I decided to do this because it has occurred to me that, if they did kiss (and I am a happy believer that they did – thus written an entire oneshot about it in "Silent Confessions" which by the way IS connected to this) I figured if they weren't able to keep in touch because of being so pre-occupied, I thought it'd be rather fitting or more like expected for things to be awkward for one or both of them. I mean seriously, you kiss someone before you leave off to another country, you haven't seen them in eight years and haven't been able to contact each other much, what else do you expect? LOL! I mean in a sense, I'm trying to be realistic here! XD; Either way the whole situation is pretty bad right now and it's understandable why Aki is kicking herself.

Blah, I feel rather dissatisfied with this chapter. I actually had to remove it three times after catching some serious errors. D:

Also the whole doctor blah blah blah vacation thing and how it works – let me get this straight, I _don't know_ how it works so I'm guessing and just going with the flow.

ONE MORE THING BEFORE I FORGET~

New Project:** It's Complicated **[YGO 5Ds | Yusei x Aki | Jack x Carly]IMPORTANT NOTES

- The ONESHOT, **"What Hurts the Most"** title will/has been changed to **"It's Complicated (Carly's Version)"** exactly like, **"It's Complicated (Aki's Version) "**, although I do hope to find another title and have their individual stories subtitled with "_What Hurts the Most"_ and _"It's Complicated". _

_- _"It's Complicated (Carly's Version)" aka (What Hurts the Most) has been updated with very minor adjustments (_tweaking a few words and fixing spelling errors or incomplete vocabulary_)

- There will be TWO versions, both connected and sharing events and running at the same time. - Each one will be revolving individually around Carly's side of the story and Aki's side of the story.

- You _will_ see shared dialogue between them when the two characters are together in the same place and time.

- I haven't decided yet whether I will have "Love is in the Air" be part of this project while was the source of my inspiration for this.

- "Silent Confessions" will be connected to this version, "It's Complicated: Aki's Story"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After her breakdown and absolutely horrific reunion with Yusei, Aki did not sleep well that night. Or rather to put it bluntly, she didn't sleep at all. After a few hours since Yusei had left, she finally got out of the house and went to pick up some groceries to make a proper meal only to run into Mikage and Ushio who she learned were now dating for four years. She was honestly awed by the fact Ushio managed to make her cast aside her feelings for Jack and finally move on to him. She also noticed that Mikage decided to grow her hair out, causing her to look twice as young than she had looked with her previous haircut. That was another thing that fascinated the psychic duelist, was just how much hair alone can influence a woman's image of age.

Peering into the mirror, studying her reflection, she stared in daze as she played with her long hair that has grown out from her once medium cut over the years. Aki was starting to wonder maybe she should try cutting it again, but she knew better that cutting her hair wasn't going to change anything, and at the same time she didn't want to since she really did love her having it long. She picked up a hairbrush and absently proceeded brushing her hair. After having spent about twenty minutes or so, when she turned her head to the clock at her bedside and scowled at the time that passing by much too slowly. There was no way she could call Carly this early in the morning. Perhaps she can text her…

As the idea struck her, she wordlessly stood up and grabbed her cellphone and fumbled with the touch sensor keyboard.

[ Carly, I need to talk to you. Could you call me as soon as you get this message? – Aki ]

Aki was about to place her cellphone down when she heard it ring causing her to jump and checked the caller ID and flipped it open, "Carly? I didn't think you'd be awake right now." She heard a yawn from the other side of the line, "I'm having a hard time sleeping. Jack pulled a stunt on me and I said something I shouldn't have and now I'm stuck here biting myself." Aki walked up to her window and looked at the dark sky as rain began to drizzle against her window, "Did you say a bad thing or a good thing?"

"A bad thing." Carly exclaimed in frustration, "I was sucked into his pitiful actions and blurted out that I'd wait for him and give him a second chance!" Aki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "Wait, that's a bad thing? And seriously, Jack acting pitiful? Please explain."

The woman sighed, "Jack was here for no more than fifteen minutes. Within that period of time he helped me cook and that somehow that led to me embracing me and then he went on about how he made the same mistake as he did in the past when he had left Satellite AND THEN – here's the worst part, he said that he regretted leaving me and because I am too-sweet-of-a-person I gave him a word of advice and then said he'd have to try hard to earn my trust and heart back!" she groaned, "I'm supposed to be trying to move on, not ask him to try and win me back! ARG! WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Aki scowled as she studied her nails and dropped down onto her bed behind her, "Well at least you didn't make your relationship worse." She could hear Carly's shocking gasp, "Wait what? So you went to see Yusei?"

"More like he came to me, thanks to you." Aki remarked dryly rolling over to her side, "And because I wasn't mentally prepared I screwed things up when he asked me some questions and thing got awkward and now ugh, things were left on a bad note when he decided to go."

"Wait so you're telling me he came and left on his own? Are you for real?"

"I'm the one to blame though." Aki replied as she started chewing on the tip of her long bangs, "I could tell he came prepared knowing I probably wouldn't know where to start. That's a Team 5Ds strategist for you." She covered her eyes, "Now it's my turn to come up with a way to somehow make it up to him."

There was a moment of silence between them before Carly huffed, "Why does it feel like you're having the same problem Jack is having and I'm having the same problem as Yusei's having?" Aki frowned in response before protesting, "Do not compare me with Jack, at least I tried to keep in contact and I don't act like a jerk."

"Did you really?" Carly said warily before adding, "If you kept in contact with him as well as you did with me, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be having this problem in the first place. Secondly, there's no way you can act like a 'jerk'. Jerks are for boys, in this case you may have acted like a bitch."

The psychic duelist pushed herself up straight again, "Excuse me?" she snapped, feeling nothing more than bloody rage boiling in her veins.

"I didn't say you _were_ a bitch, I said you _may_ have acted like one." Carly explained. Aki closed her eyes and slapped her forehead, "I'm sorry, the lack of sleep got me there."

"I don't think it has anything to do with that. You're just emotionally unstable, I can tell." The reporter yawned for the second time, "This is ridiculous, both of us need to get some sleep so we can deal with our problems properly." Aki nodded in agreement as she too yawned, rubbing her eyes that felt sore, begging to fall asleep, "Mhm, feel free to call me back later after you wake up, I'm going to knock myself out now."

"Good luck with the aftermath." Carly joked before hanging up. Aki studied her cellphone and the amount of time that they spent talking, she stared at it grimily before tossing it aside and burying herself under the covers. Phone bills were one of the last things she wanted to worry about.

* * *

><p>Aki didn't fall asleep even after her long conversation that night. She walked into the kitchen all dressed ready to go and made some eggs and sausages for breakfast. She checked the time as she ate her meal and cleaned the dishes before grabbing her spring coat, handbag and umbrella as she stepped outside into the pouring rain. It was terribly damp out, and honestly speaking – the young woman would have rather have stayed indoors watching movies or playing videos games, something in which she hasn't been able to do for a long time now. As she walked down the streets of Neo Domino, she carefully avoided deep puddles and poking people in the idea with her umbrella. The sound of her cellphone caught her attention causing her to stop in her tracks as she withdrew it from her pocket, "Hello Aki speaking."<p>

The sound of Mikage's high pitch squeal almost had Aki drop her phone. Even after she held it out in front of her to create a distance, the woman still winced at the pitch that could still be heard. Once Mikage stopped Aki carefully held the phone slightly away from her ear and replied, "You almost made me deaf there."

But it seems that being said wasn't enough to tone down the ecstatic woman.

"OH MY GOD, AKI YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT!" Aki rubbed her forehead as she arrived at the monorail station and headed towards one of the counters to purchase a ticket, "Believe what? I think I'm starting to lose me hearing?" she remarked sarcastically. She was not in the mood to hear Mikage squealing about something that was probably something she could care less about.

"I'm engaged, " she announced calmly. Aki stopped what she was doing and almost dropped her cellphone for the second time her mouth agape, "You are engaged?" she repeated as the most surreal idea occurred to her, "…With Ushio?"

Then on the second thought, it did matter. This was_ huge._

Mikage squealed in the response, "You can't believe it either? I was so surprised – I thought he'd never ask!" Aki bought her ticket and ran her hand through her hair laughing inwardly about Mikage's statement. Ushio asking Mikage to marry him was no surprise; the fact she accepted was the biggest surprise of all. Aki couldn't help but giggle out loud as the realization dawned to her, "Well congratulations for both of you!" Pivoting from the counter she made her way up the steps and slipped her tickets through the gate heading towards the station that would bring her downtown.

"Thank you! Anyways I didn't just call to tell you that, since I heard most people are in town this week Ushio and I decided we'd host an engagement party and have everyone get together at the same time."

Aki smiled as the train arrived, "That sounds like a good idea."

"Isn't it? So we were hoping that most people can make it for tonight at eight." She said carefully, "I know it's at the last minute not to mention late, but we're very lucky that most of our friends are here and most of us don't get out of work until seven." The woman nodded as she stepped inside a car that turned out to be packed and grabbed a handle from the ceiling for her support, "I'll be able to make it. I don't have anything scheduled. Would you like me to bring anything?"

"Oh you don't have to, leave it us!" she replied happily, "Anyways I'll let you go now since I need to make a few more calls. See you tonight!"

"Bye!" Aki closed her cellphone and dropped it back into her pocket and smiled, _'Well now I have a reason to pick something up while I'm downtown.'_

* * *

><p>After a few hours walking around downtown, Aki had come to regret leaving the house. Her head was spinning, her body felt heavier than usual, her vision was a bit off. With fatigue shadowing over her, Aki made a quick stop to a café and helped herself to a hot mocha. Sitting at a small table by the window inside the café, Aki held the mug to her mouth murmuring, "What made me want to come downtown in this weather?" her eyes glanced warily at the rain that only started coming down harder than it already was. She took a long sip of the hot mocha before settling it down onto the table again. The doctor let out a long heavy sigh as a small burst of energy begun to grow, allowing her to gain back her senses. She then looked at the red wine bottle sitting in a bag that she had purchased earlier to bring to Mikage's celebration. Honestly speaking, she would have rather calling the woman back to tell her that she wasn't feeling well, but Aki couldn't bring herself to do that, especially when she had already agreed while knowing she wouldn't be in town for much longer. The young woman also found herself concerned that <em>he<em> would see it as an excuse to avoid him. For the fifth time, Izayoi sighed and closed her eyes, _'Why does everything have to be so complicated?'_

"Izayoi Aki?" Aki opened her eyes and shifted her gave to someone standing beside her. She let out a gasp in surprise, "Sherry?"

The blonde woman shot her wicked smirk, "It been a while. What brings you back to town?"

"Paying a visit." She answered simply, "What about you?"

The pro duelist helped herself to an open seat across her, "I have been traveling a lot, the pro league is a busy place. That young man, Rua right? He worked part as the pit crew back in the WRGP, he has become a successful pro duelist." Her smirk only grew, "He's a strong one too. Taught by the best I heard." Aki shrugged with a smile, "I wouldn't say he was taught, but more of he gained a lot of experience being part of the team and all." She stopped to think, "I remember Jack mentioning that when Rua defeated Aporia, that was turning point into becoming a powerful duelist." The psychic duelist smiled at the thought, "I heard that Rua is giving Jack some trouble himself." Sherry's smirk faded and turned to look at the dark sky, "It still feels like yesterday you know. The Arc Cradle and all…. The memory is so fresh and clear, I don't think I'd ever find myself forgetting about it." Aki raised the cup to her lips and replied before taking a sip, "I don't think any of us will."

Sherry advert her eyes to the psychic duelist without turning her head from the window, "Say Aki, do you still duel?" the young woman raised her eyes from the cup and looked at the pro duelist in confusion, "I do, but not as much as I used to." She placed the cup down and folded her hands together, "What makes you ask?"

The blonde shifted her gaze back out the glass, observing the people passing the café, "Not sure. I just felt like I had to." Sherry turned away from the window and leaned back into the chair, "By the way, not to sound rude or anything, but you look like crap. Are you feeling okay?" Aki's eyes widen surprised, and giggled nervously, "Do I look that bad? I haven't slept in the last twenty-four hours." Sherry made a face, "Then what the heck do you think you're doing walking around downtown on a day like this?" she leaned forward against the table and frowned, "And I heard you were supposed to be a doctor, I must've heard wrong."

"No I am a doctor." Aki replied slowly, "And because I am one, I am used to pulling long shifts that can last at least 20 hours… with breaks of course."

"Well then it can't be only fatigue that's getting to you." Sherry remarked, her frown still in place, "I don't know how you looked this morning, but you look terribly pale."

"It looks like I'll have to apply more makeup." The doctor joked as she took the last sip of her mocha to finish it. Standing up she pulled on her coat and picked up her umbrella, and two bags before turning to Sherry, "I need to get going now. I have another appointment to attend to in a bit." The blonde woman stood up as well, "I hope you can have a cat nap before you attend your next appointment then." Aki just smiled in response, "Trust me, if I could, I will. It was good to see you!" With that Aki left the café and made her way back to the monorail station. Spinning the umbrella in her hands she stopped to spare a glance at the sky.

How she wished it'd stop raining already.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Whew, that took me much longer than I had initially thought it'd take me to write up this chapter. I have rewritten this chapter many times and finally I'm feeling a bit more satisfied. As for this chapter, the original idea was stupid so I had some problems trying to come up with a new way to fill in the time gap as well as lead us to the next event. Another thing I wanted to mention was that I don't plan to have this story end up with like 25 chapters, so the pace is going to pick up a little bit. One of the major things that we (y_es including myself because I can off track_) must remember how many days Aki has left because she leaves Neo Domino again. Within that period of time there must be a development (a_gain I'm saying this mostly as a reminder to myself_) be it positive or negative. The next chapter we're going to get an insight on Yusei's thoughts.

Okay so after writing up chapter 3 – yes I wrote that chapter before this one, YES THAT MAKE NO SENSE AT ALL WHATSOEVER BUT, thanks to that I have a better idea about how I want to write this story.

First, both stories titles will be changed AGAIN (_DUCKS AVOIDING BEING SWIPED BY DANGEROUS, SHARP, DUELMONSTER CARDS_). WHY am I doing this? Well it's because this side of the big story isn't just about Aki anymore. Now Yusei too will be able to voice his thoughts instead of going with my stupid original idea of "_HEY I'LL MAKE YUSEI HIS OWN VERSION :D :D :D_" which it would only make things run more smoothly, but make more SENSE! The same thing will be regarded to Jack's and Carly's half in their story. In the mean time I'm STILL trying to come up with a stupid "OFFICIAL BIG TITLE" so that I can have "It's Complicated" and "What Hurts the Most" as its subtitle so that people will know that these two stories are connected.

Maybe I should name it "THE LOVE CHRONICLES OF 5DS"

…

✧✧ Over my dead body.

For the mean time, please try putting up with my titles frenzy. ;;;

Okay now I need to get started with Carly's second chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ushio's townhouse turned out to be bigger than Aki had imagined it to be as she climbed out of the cub with a bottle of red wine. She could see some of the others have already arrived before her. From where she stood she took notice of both Crow's and Yusei's D-Wheel and stared at the two vehicles painfully. '_There's no way of avoiding him is there…'_ She thought a she drew a deep breath and rung the doorbell. She was quickly greeted by Mikage who had immediately thrown her arms around Aki ecstatically, "Aki! I'm so glad you're able to make it!" Crow popped his head from the kitchen hearing her name beamed brightly, "Hey Aki, been a while!" He came out swinging his hand into the air. Knowing he sign she rose her hand as well and the two slapped each other's hand fiercely, "Strong as ever! How have you been?" Aki smiled softly, "It's been good, what about you? I heard you switched teams in the pro league." Crow smirked, "Well I left the team with a good replacement suggestion. I'm trying to learn different styles and such so I have been traveling a lot…" he trailed off as he peered over her shoulders only making his smirk grow wider, "Why isn't it the _King of the World_? I haven't seen you since the last match!"

Aki spun around. She could feel Jack's eyes studying her, "What?" he ignored her and Crow and passed them, "I'm only dropping by to wish Ushio and Mikage the best for their future."The doctor narrowed her eyes in response, watching him be escorted to the kitchen with Mikage.

"Hey Aki are you okay? You don't look so good?" she snapped out of daze and looked at the trickster, "Oh don't worry about me. I'm still adjusting to the time difference." Laughing the matter off as if it were nothing. Crow didn't look convinced, "If you say so… Say how long much longer are you going to be around for?" Aki made an apologetic face, "Only for four more days. I have to return to my work duties." She said softly. The fact that Crow's worried expression on grew frustrated her, and what he said next only bothered her even more, "Are you sure you're feeling alright Aki? You're looking a bit pale…" The duelist blinked and tried to make herself look livelier, "Crow remember I am a doctor. I think I would know best when I'm sick or not."

"Heh, but like Martha says sometimes doctors will overwork themselves and deny the fact they are sick." He snorted as he took a sip of his beer in his hands. Aki studied it before walking past him patting him on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it. Like I said, I'm just tired it's been a busy day."

Walking into the kitchen she settled the wine onto the counter helped herself to some crackers and dip. Her head throbbed painfully and she had to restrain herself from rubbing her head, knowing that Crow was studying her actions – the man who understood body language like it's the back of his hand. Holding her chin up she went over to where Ushio and the boys were talking and greeted him lively, "Ushio, congratulations!" Neo Domino's security officer laughed heartily, "Thank you Izayoi!" he glanced at his fiancée who was talking with some of the other guests, "To be honest I never actually thought I'd get the chance to ask her to marry me. I think I can die happily now." Aki laughed in response, "Keep living Ushio and may there more joyful days for both of you!"

Aki didn't need to be directly looking at Yusei to know he was watching her. The second thing she was concerned about that evening was Crow questioning about their current _awkward_ relationship-, be it if he's asking for Yusei's sake or just something he happened to catch on.

"Hey Aki what kind of wine would you like? White or Red?" Mikage asked as she tapped her shoulder holding up a fragile glass still smiling. Aki didn't know the last time she has seen Mikage smile so much in her life, "I'll have red please." The security secretary picked up one of the already opened bottled and poured some into her glass before announcing, "Oh yes, supper will be done in any second now, so could you all please take your seats?"

Aki glanced warily at the table as she approached it slowly, '_I hope there aren't any name tags…_' she stopped and cursed her luck. She was sitting across from Yusei. _Great._ Nothing better than having to now sit with him face to face. Could this night get any worse?

She pulled out her chair and took her seat, settling her glass in front of her and placing a small bun onto her plate in advance. Her head throbbed again. She was an idiot for drinking wine when she had a headache. She was a doctor for god sakes, she should know better. Fudo took his seat and eyed her sparing a glance with Crow who shrugged as he tapped his face just below his eyes. Aki didn't need to think twice to know they were silently communicating about her as their subject matter.

The slices of roast beef, cooked vegetables, salad and baked potatoes were handed around the same in a rotation. When she was helping herself to some salads her body felt heavy causing to stop what she was doing. Realizing what happened, she quickly snapped herself out of it putting less on her plate than she had initially planned to have.

'_I should probably leave as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep this up.' _She thought to herself trying to keep her eyes open as they tried to close against her will.

"Aki." She looked up to Yusei who was helping himself to a couple of slices of roast beef. He was looking at her very seriously, "Are you unwell?"

The exhausted doctor narrowed her eyes in irritation, "What makes you be so sure of that?" she remarked quietly so that she wouldn't interrupt the main discussion at the table, "I'm feeling perfectly fine." She picked up her bread and broke of a piece and tossed it into her mouth. Yusei frowned at her, "Why are you so upset?"

'_Why wouldn't he shut up already? He is only making this worse than it already is_.' Aki didn't have the patience to have this discussion with him right now-, whatever the discussion was about whether it was about their cold interactions or her health.

"I'm not." She hissed not looking at him.

"Yes you are." He insisted sharply, "Ever since-," he stopped when Ushio chimed his glass and raised it for a toast, "Okay I'm not good with this stuff but here goes nothing. I would like to thank you all for coming tonight despite the short notice. I'd like to thank Mikage for accepting my proposal and wish us the best for the future, cheers!" The guests cheered and held up their glasses and took a sip. Aki on the other hand gulped the remains of her alcoholic beverage. Yusei was left speechless and was caught off guard by her actions. He couldn't but frown at her in disapproval as he took his first bite of his meal.

"Aki would you like some more wine?" asked a lady that sat beside her that was one of Mikage's friends. Aki smiled sweetly, "I would thank you." And held up her glass and couldn't help but scoff at the man before her and took a long sip before proceeding with her meal.

Much to her relief, Aki was able to hold herself together by finishing her meal and still remained _somewhat _sober after having four glasses of wine within the last three hours she was there. However the longer she forced herself to stick around the weaker she felt. Finally making up her mind, she went up to Mikage and Ushio and smiled, "I'm afraid I must get going now. Thanks for dinner and once again congratulations on your engagement." The two smiled at her, "Thank you Aki." After they hugged and shook hands saying their farewells, Aki stepped outside and took out her cellphone and started dialing the number for the cab company. Just when she was about to start the call, a hand grabbed her wrist from behind causing her to whip her head around startled, "What the-," when she saw Yusei she scowled, "What is it now?"

"I'll take you back."

"What?" she exclaimed angrily, "I am perfectly fine with taking a cab thank you very much." She tried pulling her wrists out of his grip but he just took her cellphone and stuff it in his pocket, "There's no way I'm going to let you take a cab when you are at the verge of passing out and drunk at the same time."

"I am not drunk! I am perfectly sober!" she snapped irked by his persistent interventions.

Yusei rolled his eyes, "Then you are the most _sane_ person I've ever seen drunk." He remarked sarcastically and pulled her towards Mikage's blue KIA Soul vehicle holding up the keys for her to see, "I asked Mikage if I could borrow her car. Of course I wasn't going to drive you back on my D-Wheel, I'm not that stupid _Doctor Izyaoi_."

He opened the passenger door and looked at her, "Get in or I'll put you in myself."

"I'd like to see you try." Aki scowled as she continued yanking her arm that only made her more exhausted by the second. Yusei raised an eyebrow before shrugging, "Fine have it your way."

Within a beat Yusei sweeped her up off her feet and tossed her into the backseat before slamming the door shut and locking the car preventing her from getting out. Much to her dismay she realized that even when she unlocked the door herself she still couldn't open – which meant the child lock was active. She watched Yusei unlock his door with the key manually before climbing in and peered into the mirror adjusting it as he buckled his seatbelt.

The psychic duelist scowled as she sat back and buckled her seatbelt. She crossed her arms and resting her head against the glass. After struggling to hold herself together and using up the last burst of energy she had saved while arguing with Yusei, her body finally reached its limit and fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Yusei to notice that Aki was clearly out cold when he spared a glance into the mirror. Returning this gaze to the road he drummed his fingertips impatiently against the steering wheel as he waited for the red light to go green. He couldn't help but feel troubled that maybe he was the reason she was behaving so rashly. The amount she drank at the party caught him off guard and how pale she looked compared to how he last saw her only a few days ago. The only thing he could suspect was that she was either suffering from fatigue, which would probably explain why she has been acting so grouchy, but then again he couldn't help but notice that she was only acting uncomfortable or coldly towards him. He saw her greet Crow as if it was any other day eight years ago, but how did she greet <em>him<em>? First time she wasn't really acting as herself and this time she gives him a cold shoulder and bitches at him. The young man let out an exasperated sigh and proceeded through the city back to her parent's house.

He pulled into the driveway relieved to see that she left some lights on and parked the car before reaching into the back and picked up her purse. Usually, he wouldn't dare to go through someone else's bag but he didn't have much of a choice, especially since he decided to take her back home in the first place. Finding the key he slipped the handbag onto his arm as he climbed out of the car and opened the front door first and dropped the bag inside. Finally he went back to the car and carried her out of the car using his body to close the door shut and carefully entered worried that he'd accidently smack her head against the doorframe and used his foot to shut the door behind them. He brought her upstairs and searched for her bedroom, which he assumed, was the only room he spotted that was lightened.

Tiredly, Yusei settled her down onto the bed and tucked her under the blankets before turning the lights off. He spared her one last glance as he left the room and headed back downstairs. Now he had to drive back and get his D-Wheel, fun stuff.

* * *

><p>For hours, Fudo Yusei stared at the ceiling as he laid back on the couch in the Izayoi's family room in the dark. He couldn't sleep. Questions about why Aki was acting the way she has recently continued to plague his mind. He scratched his head and yawned loudly. What was he supposed to do? How was he going to get her to share what's bothering her so much?<p>

His ears twitched and sat up straight looking out of the room and at the stairway as he heard a sound. He waited again to confirm whether it was his imagination or not. When he heard the sound for the third time he got up and climbed back up stairs where the sound was coming from. Yusei decided to see if Aki were awake or not. His eyes softened when her saw her face pained with tears escaping her eyes. Entering the room again he pulled up the chair from her desk and placed it beside the bed. Just as he sat down he heard his name escape her lips, "Yusei…" His eyes widen slightly as more tears continue to flow down her cheeks. He reached over and wiped away her tears and started stroking her forehead, "I'm here." He whispered using his free hand to take her hand and squeezed it, "I'm right here."

"I'm sorry." She said barely audible enough for him to hear. Hearing that sent chills up his spine. The former leader of Team 5Ds closed his eyes. He was so cold and tired, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her side yet, especially when he knows he may be able to gain some sort of explanation behind her actions. Yusei kicked himself for thinking of (what he considered) a shallow thought when his friend was clearly in pain.

_Friend._

Yusei opened his eyes again and returned this gaze to Aki's hand in deep thoughts.

Eight years ago the night before she had to leave for Germany, he was caught off guard when saw her waiting in his garage. The moment she made him _genuinely_ laugh for the first time in a long time.

As their small talk went on, he gradually started growing more aware about how _difficult_ it was going to be to say goodbye to Aki compared to his many other friends he had to part with in the past and present. It didn't help that he already knew that his feelings towards Aki were much _different_ compared to the many other friends that he felt strongly about as well.

It wasn't that he wasn't already aware that he had strong feelings towards her. It was simply because he didn't know _what_ _the emotion was_, or how to _identify it_ until the moment his heart was racing when Aki caught herself on the verge of confessing straight out and changed the phrase.

Perhaps it was at that moment when he took her hands and blurted out the cheesiest line he had ever came up with on the spot that state one of the many things he loved about her. On top of that when he realized that the moment she took his hand too telling him that _he_ was the reason for her smiles he knew right then and there that the two of them shared the same feelings for one another. Just when he didn't think he'd fall head over heels for her anymore than he already had, he found himself drawing closer to her, completely captivated by her eyes that before he knew it, he kissed her.

His eyes narrowed as the pieces of the puzzle he was trying to put together the entire time since Aki arrived settled into place. He understood now why Aki was acting so differently around him compared to others. It was his fault. If he hadn't kissed her then…

Inwardly laughing, Yusei shook his head.

_No_, he doesn't regret kissing her. In fact even if they didn't, there are still problems that would have led them back to the exact same scenario anyways. One of them, he knew all too well, was that he never had the chance to contact her as much as he would have liked to. He would have to somehow make up for their lost time and severing their bonds.

The sound indicating she was sleeping peacefully indicated that it was all right to leave and get some sleep. Rising up quietly left the room and retired back downstairs to get some sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** MY GOD. I must've spent over 16 hours writing this chapter because as far as I'm concerned I have been trying to write this for two days straight and I finally finish this by (technically) the third day after pulling an all-nighter (_because taking cat naps corrupts your sleeping schedule, even if it's supposed to help me visualize how I want the story to go!) _finishing at 4:43am. One of the main reasons why I had so much problems with this chapter was I realized that if I were to follow my original plan (_which is focusing solely on Aki's side of the story and Yusei not getting the chance to voice his thoughts and his side of the story_), chapter 4 would make only make everyone confuse about the major mood swing and change in character's behavior (_which was originally supposed to be part of this chapter, that's why I know wth I'm talking about). _And to top things off, you guys probably would have felt totally lost about {INSERSPOILERHERE}.

Also another major change I made as I've been rewriting this chapter over and over again was that originally Yusei took her back to his place. While I loved the whole set up, I felt like it was missing something and figured that Yusei using his brain and common sense to avoid getting in a bigger mess was a better idea.

Last but not least: Yes, I know it's rather strange to see Aki drink so much. Just a heads up she isn't an alcoholic (NOR DO I WANT HER TO BE) and if I wasn't clear enough that she was drinking because she was trying to distract herself from thinking about her awkward reunion with Yusei. I figured that her drinking habit could be something that rubbed onto her after living in Germany for so long... _;;;


End file.
